Improved car-coupling



H. S. SHEPARDSON.

Car C0upling. No. 50,882. Patented Nov. 7. I865.

FF @g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY S. SHEPARDSON, OF SHELBURN E FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO H.S. SHEPARDSON & GO.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,882, dated November7, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. SHEPARDSON, of Shelburne Falls, in thecounty of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new andImproved Shackle for Railroad-Oars; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isa vertical longitudinal section, showing the shackle open. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section, showing the shackle closed. Fig. 3 is anend elevation. Fig. 4 represents the shackle-bolt. Fig.5 represents theshackle-latch.

The nature of my invention consists in such a construction of devicesforming a self-locking shackle for railroad-cars as shall require nosprings nor weights other than the weights of the various parts tooperate it.

That others may understand the construction and operation of myinvention, Iwill more particularly describe it.

A is the case containing the working parts of my device, which consistof the shacklebolt B and the latch G.

The case A may be constructed in any suitable way, though. I prefer tocast it in one piece of iron. It should have the usual flaring mouth forthe easy and sure admission of the coupling-link. WVithin the month arethe shoulders D D, Figs. 2 and 3, with a channel between them, in whichthe shackle-bolt rests when thrown forward, as in Fig. 1, so that theupper surface of the bolt is about flush with the surface of the saidshoulders. Behind the shoulders D D are two other shoulders, E E,between which the shank of the latch G is pivoted by the bolt 0. I also,in constructing the case A, leave or form two vertical cavities, F,extending from the top through the bottom of the case, for the purposeof allowing dirt, &O., to drop through and not toclog the movements ofthe latch or shackle-bolt.

The shalkle-bolt B, I prefer to make of the form shown in the drawings,though it is not required that those exact proportions should beobserved. The tail b is bent over forward, so that it will catch the endof the link G when it is inserted and confine it, so that as the linkcontinues to be pushed in by the approach of the car the shackle-boltwill be forced to erect itself, as in Fig. 2, the tongue passing throughthe link in so doing. As the bolt rises up it strikes the under side ofthe latch O and pushes its forward end up also until the slot 0 comesover the end of the bolt B' and allows the latch to fall and confine thebolt in its upright position. In inserting the link, (the end of whichhas been somewhat elongated, as shown, by flattening,) the end of thesame passes under the tail b; but when the bolt B has assumed an uprightposition the flattened end of the link will no longer allow it to passout from under the tail 1), for when it was inserted it was in anedgewise position; but now it presentsits side, which is much broaderthan the edge, so there can be no danger of the latch 0 being thrown upat any time by an accidental bound of the link. The link is also held ina position nearly horizontal when the cars are uncoupled, as shown inFig. 2, and there can therefore be no danger of missing the shackle ofthe car to be coupled. The vertical tang of the latch O is thrownforward at its lower end when the latch is raised, and the proportionsof the parts may be such that the said lower end of the tang will strikeshackle-bolt or some portion of the tail 1) if the latch is raisedhigher than necessary to allow the bolt to pass under it.

The operation of my invention is so obvious that no further descriptionof it is necessary.

Having described myinvention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination of the shackle-bolt Band latch G with theshackle-case of a railroad-car, substantially as described.

2. The shackle-bolt B, when constructed with the tail 1), substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

3. The shackle-case A, when provided with the openings F,in combinationwith the shacklebolt B and latch C.

H. S. SHEPARDSON.

Witnesses:

F. B. PRUTT, ARTHUR MAXWELL.

